Hey y’all! I’m Maddie.

My name is Maddie, and this is my little space of the Internet to get personal, talk travel, and share photos and stories. I'm a registered nurse, dog mom, and girlfriend to a surgical resident. Click my picture above to learn more!

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So last time we talked, I was halfway through my original contract here in Baltimore and had just signed an extension. Now I’m less than a month away from the end of my extension!

This summer in Baltimore has gone by SO QUICKLY, I can’t believe we are already nearing the end of August.

Click through to read what I’ve been up to the past few months!

In April, after I went to Rhode Island, Aaron came to visit. Unfortunately I had to work the first part of the week he was here, but we still at least got to go out for dinner after my shifts. We spent a day out at Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the Star Spangled Banner, and went to an Orioles game. We went down to D.C. for a day and walked all through the National Mall but unfortunately didn’t have any time to do much else down there.

In May, I went home to San Antonio for my sister’s college graduation. I got to see my friends and family, and otherwise had a nice relaxing week at home. Also in May, I went to Philadelphia with my friend Will, who I met in college in St. Louis. We went out on South Street, went to the Eastern State Penitentiary, checked out Independence Hall, and made sure to eat all the cheesesteaks we could possibly find. It was a quick long weekend trip to Philly and I feel as though I didn’t really get to see everything there is there, so I may have to take another quick trip up there just to climb the Rocky steps!

In June, I finished out my original contract and then took 2 weeks off to go home. It was super nice and relaxing to just not have to work for 2 weeks. I got to see my friends and hang out, and of course saw Aaron whenever he wasn’t at the hospital! Unfortunately, timing didn’t work out and Aaron did not have any “off” time when I was in town. A couple times he (and I) got woken up by the pager and he’d have to go into the hospital to operate on patients. It’s hard dating someone in residency, but I think that travel nursing helps. Although long distance is hard, Aaron and I still manage to see each other about once a month – either I’ll visit home, or he’ll come to visit me. I think being gone, in a way, makes it a little easier for me personally to not get so frustrated at Aaron working all the time. He has worked hard for his career and to get where he is now, and he truly enjoys the work, so I know he is just doing what he needs to do. But I won’t lie, I feel if I were at home and he was having to leave all the time, working 36 hour shifts and not being able to come home some days… I’d be getting really frustrated. And it totally wouldn’t be his fault at all! It’s just the nature of how things are now. This way, even though he’s at work all the time, I’m off in another city doing my own thing anyway, so I don’t get frustrated or anything.

In July, I moved from the Mount Vernon area of Baltimore to Canton. The move wasn’t as terrible as I anticipated. I am saving so much money, and I actually really enjoy living in a smaller space. I don’t need much – it’s just me and my dog, I don’t even cook so I don’t need a full kitchen. Being in a smaller space means that if something is messy, I can’t just shove it out of sight out of mind or go hang out in another room so I don’t have to acknowledge the mess. I have to actually DEAL with it! I enjoy living in Canton so much more. Mt Vernon skewed a bit older, there wasn’t as much night life, and I had a lot of anxiety living where I did because I had a neighbor who kept some “unsavory” company around. Living in Canton, it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! There’s a ton of restaurants and night life around, and a lot of my friends here live in the area too. I joined an amazing yoga studio and have been walking around exploring everywhere. Aaron even was able to come up and visit for a quick weekend towards the end of July, so I had fun showing him things he didn’t get to see on his last visit!

In August, to be honest, I feel as though I’ve been working a lot. I almost can’t even believe the month is already halfway over. I did manage to take a quick getaway last week to Delaware – state 21 out of 50 on my bucket list! I stayed in Lewes and went out to the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, which is actually my favorite brewery I’ve been to. I went by myself – something travel nursing has helped prepare me for a lot! – and didn’t realize how weird or awkward going to a brewery by myself would be, but it worked out totally fine. I went on a brewery tour and enjoyed a ton of beer, making new friends in the process. After the brewery, I took Sunny out to Lewes Beach – her first time on a beach! Which she did not enjoy. She hates water, so I don’t know what I was expecting. But she did love the sand!

Yesterday I had a really busy (but fun!) day. I started off my morning with rooftop yoga with Carolyn, then my friend Glenise came up from D.C. and we spent the day literally just eating our way through Baltimore. Glenise was the semester ahead of me in nursing school, but I didn’t end up meeting her until my travel assignment in Austin. Now she goes to CRNA school at Georgetown, so she was able to drive up and visit! We had a blast.

I have only a month left in Baltimore, but a week of that is going to be spent back down in San Antonio. I’ve already planned out my road trip back to San Antonio, I think… Greenville, SC to Athens, GA to visit my cousin Lesley and her family, then a couple nights on the beach in Dauphin Island, AL and then I’ll make it back to San Antonio in time for wedding season!

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Maddie

My name is Maddie, and I'm here to get personal, talk travel, and share photos and stories. I'm a registered nurse, dog mom, and girlfriend to a surgical resident. I also enjoy drinking craft beer and eating like a foodie.
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